Every second is a miracle
by LeontillyBalambgirl
Summary: Songfic to multiple songs. my first attempt.Squinoa.After one fight too many, Squall and rinoa call it quits. Will it take a tradgedy for them to realise they should be together? And even if they see will it be too late? Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1:behind closed doors

**Copyright:**I do not own Final fantasy 8 or the characters or anything to do with it. but you already knew that! i also dont own the lyrics used in this songfic they are from the songs 'if i were you' and 'don't tell me' both written and owned by hoobastank.

Note:well this is my first attempt at a songfic, or a story atall really. This is just chapter one. Chapter 2,3,4 are coming soon i promise. would love some feed back so please review. I also promise the other cahpters wont be as long as this one, so please read!

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_**You seem to find the dark when everything is bright. **_

**_You look for all that's wrong instead of all that's right._**

The cafeteria of Balamb garden was lively as usual. At a table in the centre of the cafeteria sat Commander Squall Leonhart with the 5 people most important to him. His best Friends-the lively Zell Dincht, the re-instated instructor Quistis Trepe, Spunky Selphie Tilmit and Irvine Kinneas her cowboy boyfriend-and of course his girlfriend Rinoa Heartilly. It had been a year since their ordeal with Ultemicia, but now everything appeared to be perfect for the six heroes.

But unfortunately it's always true that beneath the surface there are cracks forming. Squall and Rinoa appeared to be the perfect couple, and at first they were. They were deeply in love, and probably always would be. But that doesn't mean they didn't have problems. Squall was constantly busy with his commander job, and recently he had been working most days and a lot of nights too. At first Rinoa was tolerant, understanding how much stress he was under, but more recently she had started complaining to Squall that he never made time for her, that he worked too often. This had caused a fair few fights; squall was tired of being criticised for being committed to his job. But to everyone else, they still appeared to be perfect .All this fighting took place behind closed doors.

Another issue was Seifer. He too had changed in the last year, he was good now, but he still wasn't Squall's favourite person. Squall knew that Seifer still had a thing for Rinoa, he knew about their past, and he knew that they had become more and more friendly over the last year. He trusted Rinoa but he didn't trust seifer. At the very moment Squall was thinking about this, Seifer appeared at the edge of the table. "Morning guys" he said pulling up a chair and sitting next to Rinoa. The two began a conversation that didn't seem to include anyone else. Irvine and selphie were deep in conversation, as were Quistis and Zell. Squall was slightly wounded by his friends ignoring him. Irritated, he downed his coffee, slammed the mug on the table and stood up. "I'm gonna go."

Rinoa jumped up from her seat. "Is everything ok hunny?" she asked

"fine. I just have to work. It's important". A stab of irritation entered Rinoa's mind. He was always saying how important his work was. More important than her? "ok" she said evenly trying not to let the irritation show through in her voice, "but don't forget we have tickets for that show tonight, the concert. It starts at six. So don't be working late."

'_She's all ready assuming I'm going to let her down. That's charming' _Squall thought as he walked away from her.

Squall sat in his office sifting through a mass of paperwork that had just arrived. He glanced at his watch. 6.07 pm. _"damn it" _. He was supposed to being going to the show, but he knew he was nowhere near finished here. He knew what he had to do.

The phone in Rinoa and Squall's dorm rang twice before Rinoa answered.

"Hey. It's me." came Squall's voice on the other end. _'He's going to cancel I just know it' Rinoa said to herself. _

"Rinoa, I'm not going to be able to make it to the show. I'm sorry. But you know, why don't you go anyway, you'll probably enjoy it."

Rinoa took a deep breath, then just put the phone down.

_**Look what surrounds you now, more than you've ever dreamed. So what's it going to take for you to realise it can all go away in one blink of an eye?**_

It was past 1 AM. In the darkened dorm room Squall lay on his bed waiting for Rinoa to come in. He was starting to wonder were the hell she was. Surely the show couldn't be that long. Suddenly he heard footsteps and voices outside the door. Someone was laughing, a man. The voice he immediately recognised as Rinoa's said "Shhh! Stop laughing. It's not funny. If I don't find my key I'll have to knock and Squall wont be happy if I wake him up."

The male voice spoke, "I actually think that would be quite funny!" Then it clicked-that voice belonged to Seifer!

A few seconds later he heard the key in the lock and the door opened slowly letting a beam of light into the room and then shut. Assuming that squall was asleep, Rinoa crept across the room heading for the bathroom.

"were have you been?"

Rinoa nearly jumped a mile in the air "Ahhh! You scared me I thought you were asleep!" I was at the show, it ran over a little."

"cant imagine it was much fun on your own" Squall said flicking on the nearby lamp "or did you take someone?"

"oh yeh. I gave your ticket to selphie. Girly night out.".

Squall nodded in response and Rinoa turned and started to head for the bathroom again.

"liar". The word broke the room as easily as stone shatters glass.

Rinoa spun round to face her boyfriend. "Excuse me?"

"you're a damn liar! You went out with Seifer. And don't try to deny it because I heard him outside".

Rinoa sighed "ok fine. I didn't feel much like going on my own, then I bumped into Seifer and he didn't have plans. it's no big deal"

"then why did you lie?"

" Because I knew you'd be annoyed. I knew you'd overreact".

Here we go again…another fight.

_**You never say a word unless it's to complain, it's driving me insane**_

_**Don't tell me you are ready to change don't tell me from now it wont be the same.**_

Squall awoke up the next morning with memories of the previous night filling his head. Every painful word said was still there, clinging to his thoughts. The yelling and screaming had gone on all night. The same old issues and some new ones. God, had he really said what he thought he had? Squall thought it all over as he showered hoping the blasting water would wash away the pain and guilt he was feeling_. 'I accused Rinoa of cheating on me with Seifer, called her a liar. I'm an idiot. She wasn't completely innocent though, she said things too. She hurt me. _

_Said I was shutting her out, ignoring her. Kept yelling that I hadn't changed, called me jealous of Seifer because he had changed. That just made me mad. But that wasn't the worst of it….'_ Squall thought back to the very end of the argument.

"Did you ever love me squall? Are you even capable of love? " Rinoa had tearfully screamed at him. And that was the point he snapped, and the point he couldn't come back from. What he had said…..

" How dare you even ask. I risked everything for you. I am capable of love and I did love you. But I cant keep this up anymore. Love doesn't last forever"

"true love does"

"then I never truly loved you. We're through"

At the moment the anger just melted away and turned to sorrow. He could see in her face he had broken her heart. He had broken his own too.

'_God why did I say that…. I didn't even mean it. Of course I love her. I don't want it to be over. I don't even know how to live without her.'_

**Knock knock knock**

Squall answered the door to see Rinoa standing there.

"We need to talk" she said almost in a whisper.

The moment he saw her squall was conflicted. Half of him wanted to forget it all, tell her he didn't mean what he said , tell her how he really felt, that he did love her. But the other half of him was still angry, why should he apologise, he wasn't the only one at fault. He said nothing, stared at her silently.

_**It's not what you say or what you do, you cant take back what you've put me through**_

"Please Squall. I'm sorry about everything I said. I was just upset. I didn't mean it." she had broken into a wave of tears "please tell me you didn't mean it either. Please tell me you do love me."

"I do still love you" squall said quietly "but I don't think it was working. It's not just last night Rin…"

"Please cant we just give it one more try.!" she begged

Tension filled the room, suspended like a wave waiting to break. The silence was unnerving, finally Squall spoke…. "No."

Crash. The wave had broken.

Note:ok. hope you liked it. chapter 2 coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2: Lonely weeks never end well

**Copyright:**The usual. Do not own Ff8 or the characters. Do not own the lyrics either they are from the songs what happened to us and if only. Both written by Hoobastank.

**Note:**Ok well this is chapter 2. I really tried to improve with Spelling etc in this, so hope it is better. Thanks to Wolfdog girl and jayliah85 for reading and reveiwing. Well hope everyone likes this chapter. more chapters soon! enjoy!

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_**What happened to us. We could have made it work, we should have found a way, we should have done our best to see another day. But we kept it all inside, 'till it was to late. Now we're both alone….**_

Rinoa Heartilly looked wistfully around the hotel room that had been her home for the past 3 weeks. It had been 3 weeks since she had seen her friends. 3 weeks since she had seen Squall, but not 3 seconds went by in which she didn't think of him. She lay down on bed, and stared at the blank walls. Brushing a strand of her ebony hair from her face she contemplated ringing Squall, just to see how he was, just to hear his voice. She hadn't seen him since that morning. She'd left as soon as he said that one word 'no'. She thought some time away would heal the pain, but it was still as fresh as ever. Tears sprung to her eyes every time she thought of him, the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, his beautiful blue eyes. The thoughts that had once comforted her and warmed her soul now caused her to feel pain and regret.

_**I Finally understand, how it could all could go so wrong, **_

_**will this pain ever end cause I don't think I can carry on**_

'_How did we mess it up so much' _she thought to herself '_we had it so good, and we threw it all away. How could we dismiss love so easily and let it all fall apart?'_

Eventually all the thoughts began to get too much and her tears were choking her so she decided to get up and take a walk. She walked back and forth through the streets of Timber trying to clear her mind. But her thoughts kept wandering back to Squall, back to what was said, back to the year they had spent together. She had become so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed how quick time had passed. It was dark, the streets were practically deserted. She decided to make her way back to the hotel, but as she walked there she could swear she heard footsteps behind her. She glanced around, but there was nobody. But every few seconds she could hear the sound of footsteps again. Unnerved she stopped dead in her tracks. Suddenly she was struck by a heavy blow to the back of her head. She fell to the ground clutching her head, only half conscious. The pain was blurring her vision and she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. She felt someone grab one of her hands and drag her roughly along the pavement. Then everything went black.

_**I felt it all along, but it hurt to much for me to share. If I only I had been less blind, I'd have someone to hold on to. If only I could have spoke my mind, if only it were true. I know I'd make it through, if only I had you. **_

For Squall Leonhart the past few weeks had been hell, and they had not been to great for the people around him either. Squall was generally pissed off with life, and was not the most pleasant of people to be around. He was snappy and rude, that was his way of dealing with the anger he was feeling. And his way of dealing with the pain he was feeling was to try and ignore it. For the first week he had buried himself in work, not allowing himself a spare moment to think. But for the past two weeks there had been little work to do, Garden was the quietest it had ever been, so Squall had nothing to do but think. Think about what he had done, what he had said that morning when he last saw Rinoa. _'why did I end it. Why couldn't I just have given it another try. I don't even know how I'm going on without her. Why? Maybe I was scared. If I let her go, if I knew it was ending then I couldn't have her taken away from me later. Was that why I did it? Maybe I haven't changed at all. Why couldn't I just say that I wanted to try again. Even if it wasn't that morning I said it. I've had over 3 weeks.'_

Squall had known exactly were Rinoa had been for the past 3 weeks. But he couldn't bring himself to go and see her. The door to squall's office swung opened interrupting his thoughts.

"hey-hey" Irvine said walking into the room, Zell following behind "how you doing"

"fine"

"Yeh, you sound fine" Irvine said sarcastically "Anyway, me Zell and Selph have decided you need to get out more. You cant just sit in this office. It's weird."

"Hey were is Selphie. I haven't seen her today" Zell said.

"oh she went to timber to surprise Rin-oh sorry Squall" Irvine said his eyes dropping to the floor.

"it's fine" Squall said "you are allowed to mention her"

"ok. So the point is. Selph should be back soon, so us four are going to go out and party"

"PAHHH-TAY!" Zell repeated.

Squall rolled his eyes. He appreciated what his friends were trying to do _'but partying is the last thing I feel like doing' _

"Look you guys I really don't…"

The door swung open and Selphie dashed into the room a look of panic masking her pretty features. "oh my God you guys! you guys!" she yelled

"what is it selph? what's up?" Irvine asked

"it's Rinoa! She's…Missing!"

"What?" Squall asked immediately "missing? What do you mean?"

"She was staying at the Hotel, in Timber. And I went to see her. And she wasn't there! And the woman, she said that Rinoa had gone out 2 days ago and hadn't come back!"

A million thoughts raced through Squall's mind. '_What does this mean. Is it for real? What if she's just gone out. It might not be anything. But what if she's in danger"_

"Ok" Squall said trying to remain calm. Did you try ringing her mobile phone?"

"N-no" Selphie admitted "I guess I kind of panicked. We should try that now."

Squall picked up the office phone and dialled Rinoa's number.

**Ring ring**_. 'Oh god. What if she answers? What do I say? I Haven't heard her voice in so long'_

**Ring ring.** '_But if she doesn't is she in danger? What do I do then?'_

The ringing stopped, someone had picked up the phone. Squall's heart started beating a mile a minute he was about to hear Rinoa's voice. Her sweet angelic voice.

But that wasn't what he heard. It wasn't Rinoa who had answered the phone! A male voice spoke into the phone. "Hello. Squall, I assume". Panic rose so high within Squall he was almost drowning in it. "Who the hell is this? Were the hell's Rinoa?"

"what's going on?" Zell demanded seeing the panic on squalls face. Irvine shushed him trying to hear the phonecall.

"Now now. Calm down" teased the male voice on the end of the phone.

"Listen" Squall said angrily into the phone "tell me what the hell is going on, or I swear to Hyne I'll…"

"You'll what? Kill me.? You might want to consider being a little nicer to me. At least If you ever want to see your girlfriend again…."

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Note: Ok. kind of cliffhanger ending, but 3 will pick up right were this leaves up, so watch this space. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Seek and maybe you'll find

**Copyright:** ok here we go again..I don't own Final fantasy 8 in anyway atall. Again, the lyrics are not mine. From the songs 'precious' written and owned by depeche mode, and 'holding on' by VNV nation.

**Note:**Ok, well as promised this picks up were 2 left off. This is a wierd chapter, but read anyway! chapter 4 and 5 coming very soon. All my thanks to the people who reviewed and thanks to my best mate hannah for hooking me up with the vnv lyrics and also for rocking. read and review you guys!

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..Squall was thrown in to turmoil. A million thoughts raced around his head '_what is this? Is this for real? What if someone has Rinoa? What if she's…..'_

Squall tried to mask the panic that was clutching his throat.

"Tell me what is going on. Who is this?"

"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is we'll be calling the shots now. We'll contact you with a meeting place soon. When we meet, we will negotiate."

"Negotiate? Negotiate what? And why would I meet with you. This could all be a trick."

"A trick." the man laughed to himself. Squall heard a commotion on the end of the line and some muffled voices. Then another, familiar, voice spoke into the phone.

"S-Squall?" She sounded panicked, terrified

"Rinoa? Rinoa are you alright?"

"Squall please. Help me I…". Squall heard another commotion and once again he was speaking to the male voice. "We'll be in touch. Goodbye Squall". then the call ended.

Squall slammed the office phone down. "God damn it!".

'_Rinoa….I have to save you. This is all my fault'……._

_**Precious and fragile things need special handling. Angels with Silver wings shouldn't know suffering. I wish I could take the pain for you.**_

Rinoa was thrown against a cold stone wall, her eyes blindfolded, her hands bound behind her back. Then she heard a door slam, and the sound of a key in the lock.

'_There locking me in! What is going on?'_

She sat for what seemed like hours in the cold room, contemplating what had happened to her. Why would someone want to kidnap her. Who was behind this?

And she prayed. Silently she prayed that Squall would come save her, be her hero, her knight. The pain racked her body. The rope around her wrists was leaving painful burns, and there was a constant dull ache in her head.

'_Please Squall. Please hurry. I need you…'_

_**I thought the future held a perfect place for us, that together we would learn to be the best we could be. I fell and lost my way, I always end up falling over me.**_

_**One day I woke to find the future had no place….**_

It was 5 hours since the first call, when Squall received another informing him of a meeting place which he must go to at midnight. Alone.

His friends had tried desperately to persuade him not to go, telling him it was a trap.

And it obviously was. Squall knew full well it was a trap. He'd probably be ambushed by 6 or 7 guys, and killed maybe, or maybe they'd just take him too. Take him to wherever they were keeping Rinoa. He didn't know for sure, but he knew that anything that could even possibly help get Rinoa back, had to be done.

'_I caused this. If I'd just have told her the truth, she'd have stayed and they never could have got her. But I was too stubborn. I cost us our love, our future and maybe I even cost Rinoa her life. Maybe I'll end up getting killed, but at least I can say I tried….'_

So he found himself pulling up in his car to an abandoned building outside of Deling city. At the stroke of midnight another car pulled up outside the building. Out of the car emerged 6 thuggish looking men, followed by one slightly less menacing man who looked far more intelligent.

'_The leader I assume' _Squall thought

The leader addressed Squall immediately. "Good you came alone"

"of course I did. Now I want to know what's going on. What do you want with Rinoa?"

"Nothing, as such" the man said lighting a cigarette "she's more…leverage"

"leverage?" Squall demanded " What is it you want?"

"power. And you, Mr. Leonhart, have considerable power. To be basic, we want control of Balamb garden."

Squall was astounded. '_Well, I didn't expect that'_

"This is how it's going to work." the leader continued "you will talk to your boss. Leadership of the garden will be transferred to me. When we are in control, we'll let your little girlfriend go."

"And if I refuse?" Squall asked, weighing up all his options

"We'll kill her. Slowly"

'_Turn over control of garden. How can I do that. All of SeeD will be corrupt. I'd be damaging so many futures. But…Rinoa can't die. I guess I only have one other choice. Fight'_

In one quick motion Squall drew his gun blade, and held it across his body in a defensive position. "We could try it my way" Squall hissed.

All at once the six thugs descended on Squall. The first thug threw a punch at Squall's face, which he dodged by ducking to the ground. With a quick sweep of his leg, he tripped the thug who fell on his knees, then used the handle of his gun blade to knock the man out. Another of the thugs approached Squall and swung several punches, all of which Squall narrowly avoided. However as Squall was blocking front punches, he was hit from behind by a third thug. Falling to the floor in pain, he silently willed himself not to give up. _'For Rinoa'. _Using all his strength, he hauled himself of the floor. Elbowing the thug behind him, to allow him time to take out the one throwing punches at his face. A few grazed his face, but caused no major damage. Squall slashed across the mans torso with his gun blade. The thug crumpled to the floor. Squall turned his attention to the man behind him, aware that there were 3 other men all waiting to get a shot at him. Squall delivered a short sharp kick to the mans shin, causing him to double over giving Squall the opportunity once again to knock him out using his gun blade. '_Half way through. 3 to go. I can do this. I have to do this. '. _

The final 3 thugs surrounded Squall. Squall felt a hard blow to his stomach and he doubled over with pain, someone had hit him with a baseball bat. Another blow followed, to the side of his head. His gunblade slid across the floor away from him. He could feel the warm blood trickle down the side of his face. '_I cant win. I can't do this. But Rinoa…I want to see you. I can't give up!'_

Squall grabbed the leg of the man holding the bat, causing him to stumble and drop the bat. Squall quickly snatched it up, and swung it full force at the mans stomach, causing him to fall over, knocked out. Pushing himself through the pain he stood up quickly and swung the bat in a circle connecting with one of the thugs heads, making a sickening thud as one more enemy fell. One thug remained, but he was the smallest of the group, and the easiest to take out. One swing of the bat hit him square in the face causing him to fly backwards and land in a crumpled heap. Every muscle hurt, but Squall was overwhelmed with happiness and pride. He had taken out 6 guys by himself. Squall scanned the area looking for the leader. He was making a dash for his car. Squall quickly retrieved his gunblade and chased after the man, grabbing hold of his arm just as he reached his car. Squall slammed the man against the side of the car and held his gunblade up to his throat. This action felt strange to squall, he was not a particularly violent person, but it was necessary.

"Let _me_ tell _you how_ it's going to work." Squall said to the leader who looked absolutely terrified "We're getting in your car, and your going to drive me to exactly were you're keeping Rinoa. Then I'm taking her home. And maybe I'll let you live."

"A-alright." the leader conceded.

"If you try anything……you'll regret it. Now, lets get going."

'_Hold on Rinoa, I'm on my way…'_

An hour later Squall arrived at a dark, damp looking building.

"This had better be the Place" Squall said climbing out of the car, gunblade still drawn.

The building was an abandoned old church just outside Timber. Squall entered the building cautiously, walking behind the leader. There were a few more thuggish looking men hanging around the church, that immediately stood up when Squall entered. "You tell them, to back off" Squall warned, the tip of his gun blade on the back of the mans neck. The man did as squall said, and the thugs obeyed. Squall was lead to a room with a locked, heavy door and handed a key…

Rinoa heard the sound of the key in the lock. _'oh god. Who is it now? What if they've come to…'_

The sound of the heavy door being flung open was followed by the sound of a very familiar voice "Rinoa!"

"Squall is that you?" '_He came! He came to save me..'_

Rinoa felt the rope being removed from her wrists and her blindfold was removed, her eyes behind it red and blotchy from crying.

She threw her arms around Squall and he held her tightly in his. "It's ok. It's gonna be okay. I'm here now" the comfort Squalls voice gave her was unbelievable even to her self. Taking her by the hand he lead her out of the room but unfortunately that was not the end of their troubles…..

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note: well there you have 3. hope you liked it! now go review! 4 coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4:hold a little tighter

**Copyright:**Ok, and here we go. Dont own ff8, or the characters. i dont own the lyrics either. they are from the songs "4am forever' written by ian watkins (yum) and sung by the lost prophets, and "miracles happen" by Myra. as i have said before i once owned squall but he ran away with the spoon. if u see that damn spoon tell her her days are numbered!

**Note:**Ok chapter 4 of 5. were almost done.. thanks to the usual, anyone who read and my good friend hannah (lol shes read all the chapters so far) Warning this is a little sad. But you dont get noone more of a squinoa fan than I. so keep reading you may like the ending...

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...Outside the room stood a row of four thugs, one of whom was holding a gun, and the leader, "Did you really think I'd let it all go that easily" the leader laughed "you see now I've got even more leverage to bargain for Garden with. I'm sure your headmaster wouldn't want his commander dead."

'_Damn it'_ Squall thought _' I walked right into this one. stupid'_

"Fine" Squall said reasonably "fine. Use me. But then you don't need Rinoa. Let her go"

"your right" the leader said "we don't need her anymore. But why would I want to let her go.?" he drew a large knife from behind his back "where's the fun in that"

Squall knew he had to get Rinoa out of there if she was to live.

"Rinoa, run" Squall yelled preparing to fight off the leader and his thugs.

"But.."she began to argue.

'_One of us has to get out of here alive. If I can't save myself I can at least save her.' _Squall thought

"Just go!" He commanded her.

With a look of despair in her eyes she did what he said and ran out of the room. Squall made sure that none of the thugs followed her, by standing amongst them. All eyes were on him, concentrated for their next victim.

One thug threw a hard punch at Squall which caught the side of his face and disorientated him slightly. The thugs were easy enough to take down, but once Squall floored the third thug, he heard shots being fired. One bullet missed, and flew a few inches past his face. A second shot was fired. Squall clutched his arm in pain, hot blood running from it. The pain was unbearable, but Squall considered himself lucky it was not his heart or his head it had gone through. Bravely he made a dive tackle for the gun-thug successfully knocking him off his feet. He grabbed the gun and hit the man twice in the head with the handle, rendering the man unconscious. Keeping hold of the gun, he stood up and scanned the room. The leader had disappeared. So had Rinoa. Squall headed for the exit, assuming Rinoa would have headed outside. He shivered in the cold night air, and couldn't see Rinoa anywhere. He called her name. The third time he called her name, he got a response, but not from Rinoa.

"looking for someone?" said the all too familiar voice of the leader. He was quite a distance away from Squall and had hold of Rinoa in one hand, and his knife in the other.

"Don't you dare hurt her" Squall yelled at him across the distance between them "it's over. You lost. Give it up"

Fear overtook Squall. Deep down he knew exactly what was coming._ 'No, this can't happen…not now.'_

The leader laughed maniacally to himself before raising the large blade in the air and then pushing it straight through Rinoa's back. Squall saw her face contort into pain, and she doubled over in extreme pain.

"Noooooooooooooooooooo!" Squall cried running towards Rinoa, tears already stinging at his eyes. As he got closer, the leader yanked the blade out, causing Rinoa to collapse completely on the floor, and started to run into the distance. But not quick enough. Without even thinking, Squall raised the gun he still had hold of and fired 5 shots. The leader fell to the ground, defeated.

When Squall reached Rinoa he dropped to his knees, lifting her off the ground and cradling her in his arms. He was about to watch his whole life slip through his fingers. For once he was helpless, powerless.

"come on Rinoa" Squall said brushing strands of ebony hair from her face, "come on talk to me"

Nothing. She didn't move. She didn't speak. Squall felt like his heart had been pierced. If he had been the one stabbed he still wouldn't hurt as much as he was hurting now.

**_Maybe you thought it was all pretend All these words I could never send I just let them slip away. Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you? _**

"No please, no" Squall said tears flowing from his eyes "you have to be okay. I need you. I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault. Why couldn't I just tell you how I felt. Why couldn't I have just told you to stay. When you wanted to listen, I couldn't say anything. But now. Can you hear me. Please hear me Rinoa. I love you. I never stopped loving you, and I never will.. But don't leave me.."

Her form lay still in his arms.

'_How can you leave me..'_

**_I lost my closest friend, I wanted time to end. I wonder if my heart will ever mend. I just let you slip away_**. **_Maybe I'll never see you smile again. I just let you slip away._**

_**I wish the sun would never come, it's 4am and you are done, you're letting go, it's 4am and I'm alone…..**_

"You can't leave me Rinoa" Squall pleaded laying his head on hers "I can't live without you". Squalls thoughts drifted to how his life would progress from this moment _'How will I do it? How can I move on from this . How could I tell everyone that you're gone. That I failed you, that I couldn't save you. How can I plan your funeral. How can I watch them bury you? How can I cope with people coming to tell me how sorry they are, they understand what I'm going through, how I must be feeling. No one could possibly understand. I can't go back to living without you. I'd be dead inside. I just couldn't cope. Then in a year maybe , people will be trying to get me to move on. Saying you would want me to be happy, when all you would've wanted was for me to save you. For us to be together. _"Please Rinoa. Don't give up. Don't give up on us."

'_Why? Why does this always happen. Why can't we just be happy, be together. Am I being punished for something? Have I done something so wrong in my life.?' _

But there was nothing. No response, no movement. Rinoa's face was a pale white, her cheeks and lips practically colourless. She had lost the amazing glow she used to have. Squall couldn't accept this, couldn't take it. He had lost his only love. For a few moments he was blinded with rage "This isn't fair" he yelled, to no one in particular. "Why? Why did you take her away? Why wont you let me be happy? This can't be your plan for her. It's so unfair!". His anger soon melted away "I'm all alone. Again" he whispered to himself. He broke down into hysterical tears. Tears of anger, sorrow pain, Squall couldn't even tell what he was feeling anymore. He'd never felt this way. He clutched Rinoa's body to his and amongst his falling tears he prayed "I wish I could hear her voice just one more time. Just see her smile again. I'd do anything. Please Just let her come back to me. Please give me another chance. A chance to say all the things I never said. After everything we've been through, we deserve second chance. "

_**You never know. Hold a little tighter……**_

The first rays of sun started to piece the sky, stinging at Squalls already sore eyes.

Daylight was starting to spread. Squall looked up into the sky. How would he make it through this day…

Suddenly there was a faint whisper. "Squall"

Squall looked down at Rinoa. Her beautiful chocolate coloured eyes were open now, her breath could be heard in tiny shallow wisps. She was….alive!

"Squall" She whispered again

Squall was almost too shocked to speak "Rinoa…you're, you're...alive?"

Squall looked to the sky. Had his prayer been answered? Was this a miracle?

_**Someone is watching over us  
Keeping me close  
Closer to you everyday**_

"I thought I'd lost you" he whispered to her tears still rolling down his cheeks. " I was so scared. Rinoa I love you. And I'm sorry for everything that happened. I didn't mean anything I said. I want us to be together."

"I love you too". She lifted her hand and placed it on Squalls arm. "you're hurt"

Squall had forgotten completely about his arm, he hadn't felt any pain in it, he had been too overcome with emotion.

"I'm fine" he told her "but we better get you back to Garden". Squall knew even though she was alive now, her wound was still pretty serious. She wouldn't make it much longer without medical attention. Squall glanced around and noticed the leaders car was still there.

He lifted Rinoa off the ground, but the movement seemed to cause her a lot of pain. She lifted a pale hand and placed it on the wound in her stomach. Blood dripped through her fingers. "It hurts squall. I don't know how long I can hold on"

'_no way I'm not loosing her now I've finally got her back'_

"You can hold on. You're strong" he reassured her "just a little longer. Then everything will be fine" He stood up and held her in his arms. It was putting a lot of strain on his arm, and it was starting to hurt. But he didn't care.

"Don't let me go Squall" she whispered "I want to be together"

_**The soul is a shining light hen you believe, the heart has the will to fight,**_

_**don't be afraid We're gonna find our way**_

**_You showed me faith is not blind I don't need wings to help me fly  
Miracles happen.  
" _**Don't worry I wont let you go. Ever again." Squall told her as he carried her to the car "you're my angel. Everything's gonna be okay…I promise"

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Note: See! i told you to keep reading. Just one more chapter to ge. watch this space to see how it all winds up for our favourite twosome. 5 coming soon


	5. Chapter 5: look were we are

**Copyright:** I dont own final fantasy 8. i own a copy of it but thats broken. i also own a lamp. And not Squall. I dont own squall sadly.

**Note: **Well here we go with the last chapter. This is just wrapping up how things end up for Squall and rinoa. I'll tell you read if you like a happy ending. Many thanks and lot of love to my reviewers my friend Hannah, and to wayne for giving me someone to message so i dont feel so unloved on this site. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

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_**I still remember the time when this all felt like a dream, so completely out of reach.**_**_Time will heal the pain of waiting, Now it seems so long ago. Just look back on how far we've come…_**

Rinoa lay in a bed in the infirmary of Balamb garden. It had been 5 days since Squall first brought her in. By the time Squall had got Rinoa to garden she was almost dead, she had lost a lot of blood and was quickly switching between consciousness and unconsciousness. Luckily Doctor Kadawaki and the med team had been able to save her, which Squall would be forever grateful for.

Rinoa's condition was stable now, but she had yet to wake up. For 5 whole days she lay silent and still, and for 5 whole days Squall had not left the side of her bed. Everyone had offered to sit with Rinoa for an hour or two so he could get some sleep, but he had refused each time saying he had to be there when she woke up.

It was a new morning and sunlight was starting to stream through the windows. Squall had fallen asleep, his head resting against the wall, oblivious to the sunlight.

He was awoken by the sound of footsteps entering the room. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Irvine and Selphie standing before him.

"Hey sleeping Beauty" Irvine said laughing.

Squall rubbed his eyes. It was morning? He had only closed his eyes for a few minutes last night…. "I wasn't asleep"

"Sure" selphie laughed "Well I just wanted to bring these" she gestured to the bouquet of flowers she was holding. "They'll brighten the room up a bit" she said placing them on the side unit.

"Thanks Selph" Squall murmured , still half asleep.

"Dude you should get some proper rest. Are you sure you don't need me to stay and watch Rinoa for an hour" Irvine said

"Thanks Irvine. But I'm fine. Really"

Selphie and Irvine left a few minutes later leaving Squall alone again. He looked down at Rinoa. She was still silent, still not awake.

"When are you going to wake up?" he whispered to her " I just want to hear your voice again"

Memories came flooding back to Squall. He had been here before, after they had fought Edea. '_I've changed so much so much since then. Back then I actually wanted to be alone. But I think it was that moment I realised that I wanted not to be alone any more. I realised how much I'd changed that day I carried her across the bridge. I've never regretted that day. Never regretted that change.' _he took one of Rinoa's pale hands in his own '_I changed because of you. You changed me, changed my life. I wasn't alone now anymore, I had you. I wont let you go.'_

"I wont move from this spot until you wake up." he promised her.

**_We made it somehow, look were we are now. All we've done, our battle's won. We made it somehow._**

**_look were we are now….._**

And he didn't. It was 3 days later when Rinoa finally woke up. Squall was sitting by her bed trying to keep himself awake with endless cups of coffee. He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, the days had merged together. From the faint orange glow seeping in through the blinds Squall guessed the sun was probably rising.

'_Another day without her. I don't know how much longer I can take this waiting…'_

He lay his head on the side of the bed, the tiredness suddenly building up. He struggled to keep his eyes open but in a few minutes he drifted into sleep.

Hours later he woke up to the feeling of someone gently stroking the side of his face.

He quickly raised his head and opened his eyes seeing who the gentle touch belonged to.

"Hey sleepy" said a familiar voice. The most familiar voice in the world to Squall, and the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

"Rinoa! You're awake!". He leant across and kissed her gently. He was overwhelmed with Happiness and relief that she was back.

Once news spread that Rinoa was awake the infirmary was overrun with visitors. Students came to bring cards and flowers to Rinoa and Squall. Cid and Edea visited Rinoa and Cid took Squall aside to inform him he was giving him time off from his commander position to be with Rinoa. Irvine and selphie visited bringing yet more flowers and giant balloons and lots of hugs. Zell was the next to visit bringing-what else- some hotdogs! Quistis followed not long after Zell and finally Siefer. Squall wasn't surprised that Seifer would come to visit Rinoa and he tried to keep his personal feeling aside while Seifer was there. He seemed genuinely happy that Rinoa was okay and was even pleasant to Squall. _'maybe he really has changed' _Squall thought.

It was night time when Squall and Rinoa were finally alone again.

"How long have I been out?" Rinoa asked Squall taking his hand

"About 8 days I think. But it felt like forever. I've never been so worried in my whole life."

"Sorry" Rinoa said quietly

"It's not your fault Rin, it's mine. This was all my fault. I should never have let you leave, should never had said those awful things. I seriously do love you. Truly."

"Really?" she said sounding more relieved than doubting " you really love me?"

He placed a kiss on her hand "More than anything" he said "and I came so close to loosing you. For a while I did loose you. You were gone and I just felt so empty. But I got a second chance. It was like…"

"A miracle?" she finished

"Yeah. I guess it really was a miracle. There's no other way to explain it."

"Maybe it doesn't need explaining maybe it was just meant to be this way. We both learnt something from this. Maybe we just needed a miracle to help us see."

_**We learnt to open our eyes and we're better off than when we started. And the best is yet to come, because our story isn't done**_

"Maybe. Because I've seen what it would be like if I lost you. And I never want that to happen again"

"You could never lose me Squall. I'll always be yours"

"And I'll always be your knight. We can make it work this time. We wont let anything break us apart."

"I guess were lucky then. We owe it all to a miracle"

Squall contemplated the miracle that had happened. He had never believed in miracles but he couldn't deny this had all been one. It was only then that he realised he had seen more than one miracle in his life.

'_It was a miracle that we defeated ultemicia. It was a miracle I survived, because Rinoa saved me. It was a miracle I wasn't alone and that I was able to let someone in.It was a miracle that I could love and that she loved me back. She was my miracle'_

"I owe it all to you Rinoa you saved me."

It was then Squall realised every day together had been a blessing, every word she'd said had been saving, and every minute they'd spent together had been special. And Squall silently vowed to treasure every second they spent together till the day they died , because to him every second he'd had the fortune to be with her had been amazing, had made him believe. Every second of their love had been a miracle.

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Note: Cheesey ending i no but very sweet! thank you and all my love to anyone who got this far with my story! peace love and light to you allxx


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